Exclusive Shoyu Mastering Class / 醤油麴学 - Shoyuology - Art of Koji 3 days course

Shoyu brewing is a wonder. It is a journey of endless exploration. Koji making begins with the selection of raw materials, how they are processed and how you choose tane-koji, and there are many perceptions and discoveries to be made in that four-day process alone.

The year-long brewing of the shoyu moromi made with that koji is an opportunity to train your palate, to pay deeper attention to the climatic changes of the year, and to review your own physical changes and way of life.

I have made a new program so you can choose a door to enter. In short, for those who want to dip your feet into the brewing part only, one day workshop of preparing your moromi and the tasting is plenty to learn and make you curious. For those who do want to learn only the shoyu koji making part, you can come on the first two days. For those who want to have a full experience from the scratch to the end, you can come from the first day to start making koji and finish with preparing your moromi and tasting to end your course. There will also be a year-long follow up gatherings to compare your moromi with others.

Check out the program details below and carefully select what class you want to take.

<Venue>

Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands

(1.5h from Amsterdam central by public transport)

<Program in a nutshell>

Day 1: January 18 (Wed) 14:30-16:30

*Lecture and preparation of raw materials (soybeans and wheat). The detailed explanation of how the materials need to be prepared for the first part of koji making, and how koji making should begin. In practice, we steam soybeans and roast wheat to get started with koji making. Then onto inoculation and start up of incubation. See below for details.

Day 2: January 19 (Thu) 14:30-16:30

*Lecture and observation of shoyu koji making process. Taking care of koji that we started. More detailed part of koji making concerning temperature, moisture, texture, smell - all things you can feel are covered. The technical part of koji making process explained in details. See below for details.

Day 3: January 20 (Fri) 14:30-16:30

*Lecture and finishing part of shoyu koji making. Preparation of your own shoyu Moromi, and learning how to look after it for a year. At the end, we will have a tasting of abundant selection of shoyu from Marika’s collection. See below for details.

*In the lecture part, we go through the conflict in old and new way of Shoyu Koji and Shoyu making in both industrial and home scale, practical essence of preparation and its process, and uncover the secret of different microorganisms working inside of your Moromi. The moisture, pH, temperature, human and environmental interference, everything comes together to achieve the quality Shoyu making.

After the class, there will be occasional gathering (on and off-line) of shoyu moromi follow ups.

The course is in English.

<FAQ>

Q. Is it an online course?

A. No. The course takes place in Heerhugowaard in The Netherlands. After the registration, you will be informed of the address. For those who come from abroad, we can help you finding an accommodation. Be aware that you will have a liquid moromi to fly home with you.

Q. Can I attend only Day 1 or 2?

A. No. It is not possible to attend only Day 1 or 2 only as it does not make sense to attend half of koji making lecture for full understanding of the entire process.

Q. Do I need a prior experience?

A. No. If you are unsure of which course to participate, consult with us by email in advance.

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